Simple Desire
by Magick Starr
Summary: Will Tonks really run out on Hermoine when she needs her the most? HermoineTonks


A/N: Began as a one-shot, but you never know, if I get enough reviews I might just continue.

* * *

Sheepishly, Hermoine brought her hands down from her face, looking up through thick lashes to see almost the entire Order standing over her. She had to say almost the entire Order because there was one person missing – Tonks. It was hardly surprising given the confrontation they'd had a mere ten minutes ago, but all the same it stung Hermoine to think the witch found herself unable to be there for her.

"Hermoine, dear, what ever has happened?" queried Molly, her usual tone of concern, compassion and yet slight nosiness all rolled into one showing through yet again.

"It's nothing." The young witch lied, brushing away a strand of hair that had become stuck to her tear stained cheek.

"Forgive me, Hermoine, I may not have passed all my OWLs and NEWTs to your standard, but I can tell when something's wrong." She commented, bending down to the young girl and placing a hand on her shoulder. "And even if I hadn't already sensed it, the excessively loud banging of doors, packed suitcase, and unnaturally large volume of tears are clear signposts." She noted with a slight bounce to her voice, hoping that adding a small amount of humour to the conversation would aid her in quelling at least some of the uneasiness.

"I… I…" Hermoine faltered, at a loss of how to respond.

"What's happened?" Molly prompted, forgetting for a moment that there were a dozen other people surrounding them.

"I don't know where to begin." The brunette admitted feebly.

"The beginning's usually a good idea."

"I don't know where the beginning is."

"Well then, why don't you start with why your suitcase is packed?"

"I was… I was meant to be leaving. Right about now, actually." She added as a table leg lit up and disappeared, the wooden – now slightly wobbly – object that was left giving way and causing the three priceless vases that it supported to crash to the floor.

"Leaving? Alone?"

"No… No– Not alone."

"Well then who with?"

Hermoine looked down.

"She was going with Tonks, weren't you?" Lupin asked, the portkey confirming his suspicions that his fiancée – who had fled from the house not fifteen minutes ago – had something to do with this.

"How did you-"

Lupin cut in, stopping Hermoine from finishing the question he knew had been coming before she did. "She's always been clumsy." He commented, extending one hand towards the mess that once was a table. "No one in their right mind bewitches one table leg as a portkey."

"She was aiming for a vase." Hermoine supplied.

"I thought as much. But I must admit – I've never seen her clumsy with her wand before."

"We were in a rush. She heard you coming down the stairs." Hermoine looked around, only now wondering why they had been foolish enough to choose the hallway as their leaving spot.

"Ah – I see." Remus bent down to Hermoine, Molly rising as he did so.

Molly and Arthur exchanged a glance, ushering Harry, Ron, Ginny, Fred and George upstairs, silently thanking the other adults for having enough sense to follow them and leave Hermoine alone with Remus.

"So what happened? Why did she run away?" He questioned after the footsteps had ceased and several doors shutting signalled that most had entered their bedrooms.

"She– She–" Hermoine took a deep breath, hoping to fight back sobs that were threatening to overcome her. "She said– She said she couldn't do this and then- And then she ran out. Pro- Professor Lupin, I don't understand, why are you… you should be… why aren't you angry?"

Remus let out a sigh. "Hermoine, what would be the point in yelling at you?" He asked calmly, placing a hand on the young witch's knee. "I very much doubt you or Nymphadora set out to deliberately hurt me, why should I punish you for loving someone?"

"But-"

"You do love her, don't you?"

"Yes, but…"

"So do I. Which is why, if it's you she's happy with, then it's you I want her to be with."

"But… You're engaged."

"The moment I saw her around you I knew it was only a matter of time, I just wanted to be as close to her as possible before it happened."

"But, Professor, it's you she loves."

"No, my dear, any fool can see where her heart truly lies."

"Then why did she…"

"Run?" Hermoine nodded. "I don't know. But trust me, Miss Granger, she will come back to you." And with that, Remus rose, leaving Hermoine alone in the hallway as he entered the kitchen, shutting the door behind him as he did so, determined to not let the girl see him cry.

* * *

"Tonks." Came a cry, a red headed woman hurriedly dusting herself off as she made her way towards the girl.

"Molly? How did you-"

"Lucky guess." Molly replied with a smile, glancing around the back room of the Hogs Head, remembering the time she'd chased Tonks here when she was just a girl.

"You remember?"

"How could I forget?"

"But you never mentioned it…"

"I thought it was best forgotten."

Tonks smiled slightly. "Probably right."

Molly smiled back. "What happened?" She asked after a pause, the grin leaving her face.

Pursing her lips, Tonks placed a hand on her stomach. "Things changed." She answered, looking down to where her hand was tenderly placed.

"You're-? Oh, Nymphadora, that's…"

"It ruins everything." Tonks cut in before Molly had the chance to congratulate her.

"How can it…"

"She's 16. She's still got a couple of weeks before she even comes of age, she wouldn't want someone else's baby to care for."

"Have you asked her?"

"I don't need to." Tonks replied, turning her back to the Weasley mother.

"Do you want to keep the baby?"

Tonks paused. "Of course."

"Then you need to. You might be surprised, Nymphadora, she's mature for her age."

"She's still young." Tonks argued, turning back to face Molly, revealing the stream of tears that had silently escaped her eyes.

"And she's very much in love."

"I shouldn't ask her to do something like this."

"I think she'd be insulted to learn she wasn't asked."

"I can't."

"What harm can it do?"

Tonks failed to reply, turning her back to Molly once again.

"At least she'll know the reason for you running out on her wasn't because you don't care for her."

"Is she okay?" Tonks asked feebly, wiping a few of the tears from her cheeks.

"She will be… If she sees you."

"I don't know…"

"Just come back with me. Talk to the girl, Tonks, she needs you to tell her you love her."

"She's too young…" Tonks retorted, turning back to face Molly.

"No she's not."

Biting down on her bottom lip gently, Tonks took the proffered hand, stepping into the fireplace with Molly.

* * *

Hermoine's head spun around, her mind taking a few seconds to register who was standing before her, next to the redhead she wasn't even aware had left the house. "Tonks." She exclaimed, running forwards with extended arms, relieved when Tonks held out her own arms and wrapped the young girl in a hug. Hermoine buried her head in the other woman's shoulder, wishing they could stay like that forever, though knowing, as she felt Tonks pull back slightly, that she couldn't.

Their arms still wrapped tightly around each other, the pair looked into the other's eyes, savouring each second.

Molly took that as her cue to leave, bustling quickly into the kitchen.

"Hermoine, I'm…" Tonks pursed her lips, knowing that she had to tell the girl before she said anything.

"Go on." The young witch prompted.

"I'm… I'm pregnant."

Hermoine paused. "I know."

"But you-" Tonks blinked, expecting to wake up at any moment, though finding – unsurprisingly – she hadn't dropped off in the last two minutes. "You were gonna… You packed…"

"I know." Hermoine replied with a smile, removing one hand from Tonks' back in order to run it down her cheek, pressing her lips gently to the older woman's.


End file.
